Summer’s here … and bannock begging season begins

Across the street from Lil’wat Gas and Snacks stands an unassuming little structure with a lemon painted on the front and a sign on the top which reads bannock.

If you’ve not yet been introduced to this gem of a place, allow me to officially introduce you to Sweet Girl’s lemonade. The operation is run by Dale and her trusty helper Rich and appears to have two seasons: Opened, and Closed.

I’m constantly reminded of which season we are in by my bannock loving children. It goes something like this: A closed season drive by – “Mom, when’s bannock opening? It must be soon because they’ve been gone for sooooo long.”

An open season drive by – “Mom, can we stop for bannock?” and when they feel like mixing it up a little it’s “Mom, when can we stop for bannock?”

The number of times I hear these words each week is almost comical, and by no means am I the only one.

Legend has it that one child convinced his parents to stop in for bannock 3 times in one day.

Another time, a child came in armed with $50, slapped it into Dale’s hands and said “How much can I get for this?”

It’s not just the kids that are hooked on Sweet Girl’s lemonade and bannock. A steady stream of adults make their way there as well. Locals and tourists alike are drawn to the unique roadside stand. It’s a gathering place akin to the barbershops of old or the local coffee shop (minus the haircuts and the coffee of course) It’s a place to gather, to share stories, to learn, to enhance community spirit and to laugh. When I stopped in recently we did just that. If you decide to head on over at some point during open season, please feel free to come back to the comments section of this post and share your experience. I’d love to hear it.